What are You Thankful For?
by miss37
Summary: One of my old CSINY Thanksgiving stories. Mac learns that what he is most thankful for is Christine.
1. Chapter 1

"WHAT ARE YOU THANKFUL FOR?"

Mac Taylor stared at that headline in the paper as he was sitting in the diner for breakfast. He considered that. He was thankful for a lot of things. He had just come through a hard case. It had torn him up although he did not let anyone see, of course. He had broke down sitting on those steps after telling those people that their son had been found after twenty years. He sighed as he leaned on the table. He wished he could get that visit that they had found some trace of Claire but he did not think he ever would. It had been almost more than he could take when that man asked him if he knew what it was like to bury an empty coffin. He had thought…try not even burying that…but it would have been cruel of him to say that. It was not their fault that he lost Claire like he did and they did not know it either. He had chosen to deliver that news to them himself and he had refused to let Jo go with him. She had caused a rift between him and Christine…although that was partly his fault, he still blamed it on Jo because she had stuck her nose where it did not belong. It had embarrassed him and he had snapped at Jo.

Mac left the diner and drove out to the cemetery. He sat there in his Avalanche for a few minutes. He had not been here in quite a while but he usually came on his anniversary with Claire and on 9/11. He walked across the street to the florist shop and bought two red roses and then walked back to the cemetery. He had never buried an empty coffin but he had bought two plots in the cemetery for himself and Claire and there was a headstone. He walked across the cemetery to the spot where the plots were. He would be buried with military honors, but he would be buried here when he died. He looked at the names on the headstone and the dates. He laid the two roses in front of the headstone. "I'm thankful for you, Claire," he said. "You may not be here now but I would not trade the time I had with you for anything." He sat down in front of the gravestone. "She's mad at me," he said, referring to Christine. "I said something I shouldn't have said and I've not been completely honest with her. I should have told her. You would have known already. I have to get used to that again…somebody knowing everything about me. I blamed it on Jo but I should have been honest with her." Mac sighed and leaned on his knees. "I don't want to lose her." He leaned back on the gravestone. "I don't want to be alone anymore. I have to stop holding things in." He sighed. "I forget things sometimes, simple things…and it seems to be getting worse. I have to tell Christine or I'm going to lose her."

Mac stood up and looked at the gravestone. "I love you, Claire, and I always will." He turned and walked out of the cemetery. He was taking a day off so he would go and talk to Christine today.

Mac parked across the street from Christine's restaurant. He sat there a moment to get his nerve up. He looked toward the restaurant and could see that there were not many people in there. He took a deep breath and then got out of the Avalanche. He crossed the street and stopped at the door. He looked in and saw Christine looking right at him from the counter. She frowned at him and went to the back. Mac swallowed hard but he went on in. He had to resolve this or he would wind up losing her…after all, he remembered her saying that she was a catch and he was going to lose her. He did not know if that meant she had other men in mind but he did not want to lose her.

Mac cleared his throat as he went in. He walked over to the counter and then just went on to the back where Christine was busy working over the stove. She looked at him with a slight glare but inside her heart was so glad to see him, she wanted to just jump into his arms, but she wanted to know that he was going to let her into his life. "What are you doing here?" she asked.

"I need to talk to you," Mac said.

"About what? I thought you were pretty clear that day in your office."

Mac shook his head. "I'm sorry about that but I was embarrassed," he said.

Christine looked at him. "Why?"

"I want to tell you everything."

Christine could see that Mac was sincere. She walked over to him and hugged him. "You didn't have to be embarrassed with me," she said.

Mac held her close to him. "I know that now," he said. "Can you forgive me?"

"Of course." Christine looked at him. "I have to finish this meal I'm preparing." She looked at how Mac was dressed. "You're not working?"

"No. I have a day off."

Christine went back to the stove. "Why don't you take this day to relax then?" she asked.

Mac walked over to her. "I want to spend it with you."

"I wouldn't mind that but I have to work."

"I'll help you."

Christine looked at him with a smile. "You don't have to do that," she said.

"But I want to," Mac replied.

Christine turned and looked at him a moment as though she were sizing him up. "Okay. When I get this plate done, you can deliver it."

Mac smiled. "Is that a challenge?"

"Oh you know it is."

"I accept."

Christine finished the plate and gave it to Mac. "It goes to table three," she said with a smile.

Mac thought a moment. "And which table is that?" he asked.

Christine laughed and kissed him. "It's the third one from the front," she whispered.

Mac nodded. "Oh."

Christine smiled as Mac walked out of the kitchen. Her smile faded as she thought of what he came there for. She wanted to know what had been bothering him. He soon came back to the kitchen. "Well, that wasn't too hard," Mac said.

Christine smiled. "I didn't think it would be too hard for a big shot detective," she said.

Mac looked at her as he set the tray on the counter. "I haven't been completely honest with you," he said.

Christine touched his face. "Mac, I love you just the way you are and I want you to let me into your life," she said. "You don't have to be embarrassed."

"I know that now. I know I've been foolish." Mac sat down in a chair and Christine sat beside him. They could see the customers from there. "I'm having trouble remembering things. I forget simple things like…I even forgot the word…where I work…where I've worked for so many years."

"The lab?"

Mac nodded. "The lab." He covered his eyes as he folded his arms. "I've been taking brain exercises that the doctor told me to take but I'm having trouble with colors and all sorts of things. I can't remember names of places and things." Mac looked at her.

"Why would you keep that from me?" Christine asked.

"I'm trying to figure that out. I'm just not used to someone knowing everything about me." Mac looked at her. "I want that though. I want you to know everything. You have to believe that."

"I do believe you. You've been a bachelor so long I guess it's hard to let someone else in." Christine touched his face. "And the way you became a bachelor."

"Don't give up on me even when I do something stupid."

"I won't, Mac."

They kissed and Mac took a deep breath. "So, you want to go out tonight?" he asked.

"I would love to and if you have trouble remembering anything, I'll help you."

Mac held her hand. "It's a lot easier to go through something with someone else than to go through it alone."

"It's between you and me."

"I owe my team an explanation," he said. "They all know something's wrong. I've been avoiding writing reports and avoiding going to court. I don't know what they'll think. Are they going to think I'm incapable of leading them anymore?"

"Oh, Mac, you know better than that. They love you and they will help you too."

"But if other people find out they might question the integrity of the lab." Mac looked at her. "What then?"

Christine understood Mac's concern now. "It's up to you, but I know your team will stand behind you, Mac. Jo came to me because she was worried about you."

Mac nodded. "I know but she embarrassed me. I wasn't ready to admit it yet. I didn't like it because I felt like I was being pushed."

"Nobody is pushing you. You take your time but I want to help you."

Mac kissed her hand. "I feel better now that you know," he said.

"Mac you're not alone. You have people who care about you, and not just me."

"It's just hard for me to share weakness. I guess I've always tried to act like Superman. I thought I had to."

"But you're not Superman. You're a man and anyone would expect you to have problems after what happened. You had a long recovery, Mac. You were shot and lost a lot of blood, almost died. Nobody expects you not to have any problems after that. You're human."

Mac leaned back in the chair feeling relieved that he was not holding all those secrets anymore. "I was reading the paper this morning and there was a question: What are you thankful for?" he said. "I'm thankful for you. There are so many things I'm thankful for but you're at the top of the list."

"I'm thankful for you too, Mac, and I'm thankful that I got up the nerve to send you that friend request."

"It started us on a whole new road."

"It did and I want us to continue on."

"Me too."

Christine saw that some of the customers were done with their meals. "So, what are you going to do today?" she asked.

"Well, I have some errands I need to run," Mac said. "Just some things I need to do."

"I'll see you tonight then. Get some rest too, Mac."

Mac smiled and nodded. "Okay, I'll try."

Mac left the restaurant feeling much better. He would have a better day now and he had more than one errand he had to run…


	2. Chapter 2

Mac drove over to the doctor's office. He had an appointment this morning. He would have to go through some tests to see if he was making any progress. He was not sure if he was. Even when he found out the name of something, it slipped him again most of the time. He could not remember how many times he had forgotten what a…he sighed as he parked. He still could not remember the name of that thing that he made calls on sometimes. That was what he was worried about most. Even when he realized the name or when someone said it, he often forgot it again.

Mac got out and went into Dr. Martin Stilga's office. He signed his name to the register and then sat down in the waiting room. There were four other people in there. One of them had a cast on his leg and one woman had a neck brace on as well as a bandage around her head and a cast on her arm. Dr. Stilga was a trauma doctor so he had plenty of trauma patients.

Mac thought he probably did not look like a trauma patient. Although the scar from being shot was not visible, it was definitely not the only scar he carried. He carried mental scars that could not be healed by medicine and that could cost him his job.

The nurse soon called Mac and he went into the hallway where the exam rooms were. The nurse checked his blood pressure and everything and then showed him to a room. He sat down on the bed and the nurse asked him if he was having any problems. Mac frowned. "I'm still forgetting things," he said. "Even when I figure out what it is, I forget it again."

The nurse typed that into the computer while Mac watched. She left and Mac sat there waiting for the doctor. He looked at his…well, he had to put it on silent while he was in the doctor's office. He looked at the sign on the door: Please Turn Cell Phones off During Your Appointment. Mac nodded. Cell phone…that was it. He put it on silent. He was amazed that he knew how to do everything but he could not remember the names of stuff. He thought about what he wanted to say to his team. He had to let them know. He knew they must be wondering about what was going on and they deserved an explanation. Christine was right…they would never lose their respect for him and they would help him. It still made him feel embarrassed to think about telling them. He had no choice. If he did not tell them, it was going to wind up a whisper in the lab and the precinct and the whisper would get to the chief and the commissioner and he would be brought before them to see if he was capable of running the lab. Every case he had worked on since being wounded would be questioned if he had worked on the evidence. That was why he had not written any reports or gone to court.

Dr. Stilga soon came in and Mac told him all his problems. They went through some tests and Mac frowned at the results as he could not remember things, even things that he had remembered before. He looked at the doctor. "When is it going to get better?" he asked.

The doctor studied Mac's test results and then looked at him. "You can't expect something like this to get better overnight," he said.

"It's not overnight," Mac declared. "It's been months."

"But it takes times to overcome something like this and I told you that it could be permanent. There is no guarantee that you will stop forgetting things, but doing the exercises can help."

"I've been doing them."

"Do you have anyone helping you yet?"

"I told Christine about it. She will help me."

"What about your team? I'm surprised that you could hide this as long as you have."

"Well, I'm good at hiding my feelings. I've always done it."

"Practice makes perfect, I guess."

"I guess, and I've spent a lot of time practicing."

"I hope you're about to change that."

Mac considered that. He still had hang-ups about telling things about himself but he thought it was time to change that. He had to get himself out of the frame of mind that it was weakness when he had a problem. He had to let his friends know about it so they could help him because they cared about him and they would not see him weak but they would know why he had the problem. "I am going to change it," he said. "I have to."

"That will help," Dr. Stilga replied. "You need help from people who care about you. You will improve with help but alone, you're going to be at a standstill."

Mac knew he was right. "I know that already."

When Mac's appointment was over, he went out to his Avalanche and headed out. He had to get his prescriptions refilled today. He had already called them in. He was still taking medicines. He frowned and wondered if he would always be taking medicines. He had seen people who were taking a whole bag full of medicines and he did not want that. Not to mention all the side effects that could happen.

Mac arrived at the pharmacy and walked up to the door. He looked in at the door. He could not help but remember the day he was shot. He remembered walking into that pharmacy and…he thought of it every time he came to the pharmacy, but he usually sent a messenger to get his prescriptions for him so he would not have to go. He even sent Adam once. He pretended that he did not have time to go himself.

Mac pushed the door open and heard the bell chime. He tried not to let his mind wander from the present but it was hard. He went on in and stopped as the door closed behind him. He blew out a breath and walked slowly around the first aisle of medical supplies and then he heard the door chime again. He whirled around to see an old man coming in. "Excuse me," the man said and went around Mac.

Mac shook his head at himself and went on down the aisle. As he walked closer to the pharmacy counter, he had more apprehension. He did not like feeling this way but he could not help it. This was not even the same pharmacy that he had been shot in but did they not all look almost the same? He finally made it over to the counter and waited while the other man got his prescriptions.

Mac stood and remembered walking into that pharmacy and realizing that someone was robbing it. He had his weapon with him because he had just come from the precinct and was there to get medicine for a man who was in interrogation. The man who was robbing the pharmacy did not see him at first. He had taken his weapon out and yelled for the man to freeze. Of course, he did not freeze. He had fired at him so he fired back and killed the guy. Then he had started toward the pharmacist wondering if there was someone else back there, but then a girl had run in the door. She had looked so innocent that he…

"May I help you?" the pharmacist was asking.

Mac looked up at the pharmacist who was staring at him. "I'm sorry," he said. "I'm here to pick up some prescriptions. Mac Taylor."

The pharmacist typed in his computer and asked for Mac's birth date. Mac told him and waited for the prescriptions. He paid for them and then walked out of the pharmacy. He hated going in there but he could not let fear take control of him. He had to live his life and he could not do it if he was afraid of everything.

Mac had one more place that he wanted to go to. He had to get his watch repaired and he was going to pick it up today. He drove to the jewelry store and walked inside. While he was waiting for them to bring his watch, he looked into the case of engagement rings and wedding rings. He remembered the day he proposed to Claire, but he also thought of Christine. He was sure she was the one he wanted. He felt like he was in the right place when he was with her even when he was at her restaurant. They had just had a falling out and she would not answer the phone when he called for days. He supposed he deserved that, and she had deserved for him to come to her in person. He did not even know what size ring she wore. He would have to either sneak around and find out, or he would have to just involve her in picking the ring. He would rather surprise her but he did not know how to do that at the moment.

When he had his watch, he left the jewelry store. That was his last errand. He sat there wondering what he could do for the rest of the day. He supposed he should just go home and get some sleep. He did not have to talk to his team today. He was not working, and he could talk to them tomorrow. He cranked the Avalanche and went home. He supposed it had been a few days since he cleaned the apartment. He hardly ever ate at home anyway. He had no dirty dishes but he changed his bed linens and got his dirty laundry and went down to the laundry room. The apartment building he lived in had a big laundry room. He put his stuff in one of the washing machines and turned it on. He sat down in one of the chairs to wait. He watched the clothes turn in the washer and thought back to what he was thinking about in the pharmacy. He remembered that girl's face when she ran in that door of the pharmacy. He had thought she just came in as a customer or something. He should have known better when she ran in that door when shots had been fired. He could not remember feeling the bullet go in. He remembered hitting the floor and was shocked, wondering what had happened. He had not been able to remember that before but he could now. He thought that was odd that he could remember more about that but he could not remember colors and simple things.

Mac leaned his head back against the wall while he waited for the clothes to wash. He thought about that headline in the paper again: What are you thankful for. He was thankful that he did not die that day in that pharmacy. He knew he could have. He had a second chance. He was thankful for his job too although it caused him a lot of stress at times and he was thankful for his team. It had been a while since he told them how much they meant to him. He would definitely have to talk to them tomorrow and…he thought they would all have a special dinner together for Thanksgiving this year. Of course, that would not be on the day of Thanksgiving but before that day came. He had never had anything like that at the lab. It was about time that changed too. They had to be serious and strict at the lab, but it did not have to seem like a sad, dull graveyard. He would see how he could liven things up at that lab.


	3. Chapter 3

Mac and Christine had a nice date that night and the next morning, he was up early. He wanted to get to the lab before everyone else…of course, he usually did, but he wanted to get there earlier than usual. He had some things he wanted to do.

Mac arrived at the lab and turned the lights on. There were times when it was in operation 24/7, but not always. When they did not have any cases going, there was no need to have it open. And yes, they had times when there were no cases. He thought he had some surprises for everyone and one of them would be that he was going to decorate the lab a little for Thanksgiving. He made a banner that said "Happy Thanksgiving…What Are You Thankful For". He smiled at that. He would have Adam hang it up when he arrived. He usually got here before everyone else too.

Soon, Adam arrived and Mac met him in the hall. Adam was surprised to see Mac coming that way. "Adam, I want you to do something," he said.

Adam followed Mac to his office. "I want you to hang this up out there in the hall," Mac said as he gave him the banner he had made.

Adam looked at the banner a moment. "Okay," he said. He took the banner and started out into the hall. He had never known Mac to decorate the lab. He went to get a ladder and then got busy.

Mac made sure Adam was not watching as he went into the lab to fix his other surprises. He put a few little decorations like a paper turkey and other stuff around the lab where they would not be in the way or cause any trouble. He realized he had not forgotten the word "lab" this morning. He would have a meeting with his team this morning and let them know that things were changing around here.

The next people to arrive were Danny and Lindsey and right after them, Jo arrived. She stopped and looked at the banner in the hall. "Well, who decided to make this lab look a little less dull?" she asked.

"I did."

Danny, Lindsey and Jo looked to see Mac standing at the corner of the hall. "We should celebrate this holiday," he said. "We have a lot to be thankful for."

Jo smiled and looked at Danny and Lindsey. "I agree," she said.

"So do we," Lindsey added.

"We're going to have a special dinner here at the lab before Thanksgiving," Mac said. "We should celebrate."

Jo walked over to Mac. "You've never had a dinner here," she pointed out.

"I know that, and it's time we changed that. We have a break room and I don't see why we can't have a dinner in there for everybody to eat."

"Mac Taylor, I think you're trying to be sociable."

Mac smiled. "I guess I am."

Jo patted his face. "It's a good trait."

Mac just grinned and went back to his office. Even when there were no cases, he had paperwork to do and there was always work to do in the lab. He sat down at his desk and smiled as he picked up his pen.

Danny and Lindsey got into their lab coats. "Well, I must say I like the idea of celebrating something around here," Danny said. "It livens the place up a little."

"I agree," Lindsey replied. "It will be nice to have a dinner here for everyone to enjoy. We could all bring a dish and just have one of those old-fashioned dinners."

Danny looked at the smile on Lindsey's face. "You're having some more of those country memories, aren't you?"

Lindsey looked at him. "Oh, we used to have the most wonderful dinners and everyone would bring a dish and it was so good."

"We used to have thanksgiving at my grandma's house. She could make the best turkey and stuffing you ever tasted. I looked forward to that every year."

"We always went to my grandma's for Christmas, and she would have a big old cedar tree with all the lights and everything and we would lie under the tree and look up into the branches to see what was in the tree. There would be cocoons and pine cones."

Danny looked at her. "I don't remember ever doing that."

"That cedar smelled so good, and the smell of grandma's apple pies."

"Now, I'm starting to feel all warm and toasty."

Lindsey smiled and hit him on the shoulder. "Stop," she said. "I remember one Christmas we snuck under the tree and felt of the gifts to see if we could tell what it was. We always wanted a Barbie doll."

"Yeah, you had two sisters. I had two brothers. We were rough and tumble and whatever we got, they knew it wasn't going to last long."

Lindsey laughed. "A lot like Lucy. She likes it for a few minutes and then just drops it and goes back to her stuffed animal."

"That's why we have a whole closet full of lonely toys. We should donate all of those."

"But what if she wants them later on?"

"We keep making that excuse. You know she's not going to want them."

"I know but I like to hope."

Lindsey put a slide under the microscope and looked at the sample. She was doing a sample for another department. She wrote down her results and then looked at Danny. His eyes got a little wider and his mouth dropped open just a moment, but then he looked a little amused.

"What?" Lindsey asked.

"Oh nothing," Danny replied. "But I think you should look in the mirror."

Lindsey frowned. "Why?"

Lindsey grabbed a mirror from the lab table and looked. She gasped as she saw the blue circles around her eyes. She looked at Danny with her mouth open. "You didn't do this, did you?" she asked.

"Are you kidding?" Danny asked. "Why would I? I don't want to sleep on the sofa."

"You thought it was funny though."

Danny shrugged. "I…well…"

"Oh, shut up." Lindsey gave him the slide she had been working on. "Put this away, will you?"

"Sure."

Lindsey headed for the bathroom. "And clean up that microscope!"

"Yes, Ma'am," Danny said. He looked at the microscope. Someone had put ink on it. He wondered who would have done such a thing but he had to think of Adam as he was cleaning the mess off.

When Danny had that cleaned, he went into the computer lab. "Alright, wise guy," Danny said. "What's the idea of putting ink on the microscope?"

Adam looked at Danny with a puzzled look. "What?" he asked.

"Don't play innocent. You're the big joker around here."

Just then, Lindsey walked in. She put her hands on her hips and glared at Adam. He was shocked when he saw the blue circles around Lindsey's eyes. "What happened?" he asked.

"Don't act like you don't know," Lindsey said. She looked at Danny. "Aren't you going to do something about this?"

"What can I do?" Danny asked.

"Punch him or something."

Danny almost laughed at that but he knew he did not want to laugh. "I wouldn't want to wind up in lockup," he said.

"Oh, if he even tries to press charges, I'll…kill him!" Lindsey said.

"Hey, you think I did that?" Adam asked. "I didn't do that. I mean, I wouldn't do that."

"Do you expect us to believe that?"

Jo walked into the computer lab then. "What is going on in here?" she asked but then she saw Lindsey's face. Her mouth dropped open. "What happened?"

"Our in-house joker decided to put ink on the microscope!" Lindsey said.

Jo looked at Adam. "Adam!" she said. "You didn't!"

Adam looked like a kid in trouble. "I didn't!" he said. "I promise, I didn't!"

Danny, Lindsey and Jo all folded their arms and stared at Adam. "Look, all I did this morning was hang up the banner for Mac," Adam said. "I didn't do this."

Lindsey realized he was telling the truth. "I can't believe this," she said. "How am I supposed to do my job like this and expect people to take me seriously?"

"Wear shades," Danny suggested.

Lindsey frowned at him. "You're really enjoying this, aren't you?"

"I'm just trying to help."

"Well, when I find out who did this, they're going to pay."

Danny and the others watched Lindsey leave the computer lab. "I'm glad it wasn't me," Danny said. "She's a country girl, you know."

Jo looked at him. "If Adam didn't do it, who did?" she asked.

"The only other person who was here this morning besides me was…" Adam did not finish that sentence.

They all looked toward Mac's office and then at each other. "Nah," they all said together.

"Maybe it was done last night," Danny suggested.

"Maybe," Jo replied. "That better be all of this." She turned and left the computer lab.

Danny thought as he was walking back to the lab. He had no idea who would do that if it was not Adam. He walked into the lab where Lindsey had on a pair of dark shades. She looked at him. "Nice," he said.

"I hope this is going to wear off eventually or that it will come off with makeup remover," Lindsey said.

"I'm sure there must be something that will take it off."

"Maybe something that will take the skin off with it?"

Just then, Mac walked in. "We have a call," he said. He looked at Lindsey. "Nice shades."

Lindsey folded her arms. "You know why I'm wearing these?" she asked.

"Why?"

Lindsey took them off and she thought she actually saw a light of amusement in Mac's eyes. "Are you going to do anything about this?" she asked. "Someone put ink on the microscope."

"Well, I have to get to this crime scene," Mac said.

Lindsey was surprised that Mac walked out of the lab without even acting like he was concerned. She looked at Danny. "Well, I have to go," Danny said. He followed Mac to the elevator. He was surprised that Mac did not get upset about that either.


	4. Chapter 4

Mac and Danny arrived at the crime scene which was at an apartment building. Don Flack was waiting, of course. "What have we got?" Mac asked as they walked over to the apartment door.

"A twenty-six year old, female victim who was stabbed. Her name is Wanda Nieci. She has a New York license, and the lease is in her name and her husband's name," Don said.

"So where's the husband? Who found the body?"

"Her husband found the body." Don pointed to a man who was standing down the hall. "His name is Blake. He came home from work and found her there. He's pretty shaken up."

Danny went in and began taking pictures of the crime scene and Mac went to talk to the husband. "I'm Detective Mac Taylor," he said. "You're the victim's husband?"

"Yes," the man said.

Mac looked at his notes. "Blake Nieci?"

"Yes."

"You came home and found your wife?"

"Yes."

"You work at night then." Mac got his pen out. "What time did you leave last night?"

"I left around eleven o'clock last night. I have to be at work by eleven-thirty."

Mac wrote that down. "And where do you work?"

"I'm a nurse at Angel of Mercy hospital."

"And you didn't have any communication with your wife while you were at work?"

"No. She works in the afternoon and comes home almost the time I leave. She was fixing herself something to eat when I left."

"Has she had any trouble with anyone?"

"Not that I know of. She hasn't mentioned anything."

"Where does she work?"

"The same place. We were trying to get on the same shift but…"

"I'm sorry for you loss but if you think of anything that might lead to her killer, I need you to contact me." Mac gave him his card and then turned to go back to the apartment.

Danny was still taking pictures. "There are no signs of a struggle," Danny said. "She's in her nightgown so maybe she knew whoever did this."

Mac looked at the door of the apartment. "No forced entry visible."

"Maybe she was having an affair."

Mac looked at him. "Or maybe her husband is not being completely honest."

"I guess Sid can shed some light on what time she was killed."

Mac walked over to the victim when Danny was done with the pictures. "Stabbed," he said as he looked at the wounds. "Whoever did it looks like they knew right where to stick the knife because she was only stabbed twice."

Danny considered that. "Well, she was a nurse. I guess if she was having an affair, she might have been having one with a nurse or doctor."

Mac studied the wounds. "Whoever did this intended to kill her but they didn't want it to look like a crime of passion. They knew exactly what they were doing and it looks like they wanted her to suffer." He looked around at the blood in the floor. "They watched her bleed a while before they stabbed the heart."

"They didn't lose control but they inflicted pain."

Danny squatted on the other side of the body. "So we're looking for a very calm killer," he said.

"One that doesn't get upset by blood or death," Mac replied.

"So maybe we're looking for someone in the medical profession."

"Which doesn't eliminate the husband."

When they were done with the crime scene, they went back to the lab. Sheldon was there now. "Nice touch to the lab," he said.

"Thanks," Mac replied.

Sheldon went to his office. Danny and Lindsey came in. Lindsey folded her arms. Sheldon could not help but notice the blue circles around her eyes. "What happened?" he asked.

"Somebody thought it would be funny to put ink on the microscope," Lindsey said.

"Don't look at me. I wouldn't do that."

"It is somebody around here and the only joker in the place…" Lindsey looked at Danny. "…besides this one, that is, has been eliminated as a suspect."

Sheldon smiled and opened the drawer on his desk. He was surprised when spring snakes popped out and almost knocked his glasses off his face. Danny and Lindsey stared with their mouths open. Sheldon looked at them. "Well, I guess the phantom prankster strikes again," he said.

Danny snickered. "Well, that was actually funny," he said.

Lindsey gave him a warning look. "When I find out who did this, they are going to pay," she said.

"You already said that."

Lindsey left that office and went back into the lab. Mac was in his office trying to start his report. He had not been writing reports because he forgot things. He looked out of his office. He knew he had to tell them but it was not easy. It had been hard for him to tell Christine and he loved her…well, he loved his friends, but not in the same way. But he had to tell them.

Mac stood up from his desk. He knew everyone was here now and it was a good time to tell them. He walked down to Jo's office. "Jo," he said.

Jo looked at him and saw how sad…or nervous…he looked. "Mac, are you alright?" she asked.

"I need to talk to everyone. Can you round up the team into the conference room, including Flack?"

"Sure."

Mac walked away from that office and went into the conference room. He was nervous about telling them but he had to, and he had already called them together now. He sat and watched as everyone came in one by one. Even Sid came too. When they were all there, Jo stood at the end of the table. "Mac has something he wants to tell us," she said.

Mac stood up and swallowed hard. "I…" He looked down at the table. He looked at them all waiting for his announcement. "This is hard for me. I should have told you a long time ago but I…"

"Just go ahead and tell us," Sid said.

"I know some of you have already noticed that I…I forget things. They call it aphasia and I forget things like colors and things that I've been knowing for years, even…" Mac held up his phone. "Even this. I know you've noticed that I haven't been writing reports or going to court, and I just wanted you to know why."

Mac sat down and then looked at them. "Why didn't you tell us this before?" Jo asked.

"I don't want you to think that I can't do my job."

Flack smiled. "Are you kidding?" he asked. "We're your friends, Mac. We know you."

"I could have helped you write those reports," Jo said.

Mac looked at them. "I don't know what would happen if word of this got around," he said. "They might question the integrity of the…"

They all stared at him. "Lab," they all said together and then looked at each other.

"Yeah, the lab," Mac said. "I can't even think of that sometimes and even after I hear the word, sometimes I forget it again."

"You're doing brain exercises, right?" Sheldon asked.

Mac nodded. "Of course, but they don't seem to be helping."

"You need a coach to help you remember it as you go. I would be glad to help."

Mac looked at him. "Thanks," he said.

"We will all be glad to help," Jo added and the others nodded.

Mac felt embarrassed, but he also felt better that they all knew. He would not have to hold that secret anymore. He stood up. "Thanks all of you."

The others stood up and walked over to Mac. "You don't have to be ashamed of anything," Sheldon declared. "People who go through traumatic experiences like this have issues. You can get better though."

"That's what the doctor tells me," Mac said.

Everyone drifted back to their places in the lab. Jo walked over to Mac. "I knew you were hiding something," she said. "But I also understand why. We're your friends, Mac. Do you really think we would think you're less of a man?"

Mac did not know how to answer that. "Come on and I'll help you write your report," Jo said.

Mac nodded and they went to his office. He got his notepad out and let Jo see his notes. "I couldn't remember the color of the nightgown she had on," he said. "And I couldn't remember her profession."

"Okay, let's get this started."

Mac began to type the report and when he forgot a word, Jo told him. He shook his head at himself. "What?" Jo asked.

"I should have told all of you before," Mac said.

"Yeah, but sometimes we just have to have time. You thought you would get better and…"

"I did. I thought I would get over it and no one had to know it but it's not working that way."

"Don't worry, Mac. We're all here for you."

When they were done with that report, Jo went to the office door. "By the way we have got a prankster in this lab," she said.

Mac raised his eyebrows. "Really?" he asked.

"Lindsey has blue circles around her eyes and now snakes have popped out of Sheldon's desk drawer."

"Oh. Well, as long as they're harmless pranks and don't interfere with the operation of the lab, I guess we don't have to reprimand anyone."

Jo stared at him a moment. "You're not going to say anything?"

"Like what?"

"Tell them to knock it off?"

"Why don't you do it? You're second in command here." Mac stood up. "I have to visit the morgue."

Jo watched Mac walk out of the office. She had never seen him let something like that go. She went back to her office. She opened the bottom drawer on her desk to get a new file folder and confetti spewed out like a waterfall from a confetti cannon. Jo's mouth dropped open as she watched the red and blue confetti drift down to the floor. When the shower stopped, she pulled the confetti cannon from the drawer.

Danny and Lindsey were in the lab working on evidence when Jo walked in with the confetti cannon in her hand and with confetti scattered all through her hair and hanging from her clothes here and there. Danny could hardly keep from laughing. "I don't know who this prankster is, but they are about to get me started looking for them," Jo said as she stared at Danny.

Danny put his hands up. "Why do you think it's me?" he asked.

Jo narrowed her eyes at him. "It has to be either you or Adam," she said. "You two are the only ones in this lab who would prank like this."

"Hey, don't forget Flack."

"Flack has not been in my office."

"Well, don't look at me."

Lindsey folded her arms and looked at Danny. "I'm not convinced that he didn't do it," she said.

"Okay, you guys can go ahead and suspect me if you want," Danny said. "I have work to do."

Just then, Adam walked into the lab. He held up his hands which were both painted green on the palms. "I didn't do it," he said.

Danny did laugh that time. The others just looked at him. "It wasn't me," he said.

"Well, somebody around here is a joker and I'm going to find him," Jo said.

"Oh, how do we know it's not you or Lindsey?" Danny asked.

Lindsey gave him a look that made him lose his smile. "Are you kidding?" she asked.

"Sorry."

"It's funny that nothing has happened to you, Danny," Jo said.

"Hey, I could have been the one looking into that microscope. It could have been any of us."

Mac walked into the morgue to see what Sid had found about the victim. Sid looked up as Mac walked in. "I'm glad you finally told us what's been bothering you," Sid said.

"Me too," Mac replied. "What have you got about the victim?"

"She was stabbed in the right lung and in the heart. It looks like she bled a while after the wound in the lung before the wound to the heart was done. There was blood in the lung and even in the left lung so she must have coughed up blood and then inhaled it."

"She wasn't able to move."

"And she was alive when the wound to the heart was done."

Mac stared at the woman. "But she didn't fight," he said. "She had to know the person who did this and didn't fear them. They took her by surprise."

"I would agree," Sid said. He looked at Mac. "You have any suspects?"

"The husband. He says he left for work last night and she was fixing herself something to eat."

"Well, there was nothing in her stomach so I don't think she ate before she was killed."

Mac scowled. "Then she would have had to be killed before she got the meal fixed if the husband was telling the truth. I didn't see any plates or anything sitting around the living room." He looked at Sid. "Anything else?"

"No. There were no signs of any trauma besides the stab wounds."

"Thanks, Sid. What about a time of death?"

"I would say she most likely died around Eleven-thirty, but due to conditions in the apartment, it could have been a little earlier."

Mac considered that. "The husband had to be at work at eleven-thirty," he said thoughtfully. He looked at Sid. "Thanks."

Mac headed back to the elevator. He would have to look at the crime scene photos again and see if there were any dishes in the kitchen and whether they were packed up or not.

Mac walked into the lab where Danny and Lindsey were still working. "There were no fingerprints in that apartment except the wife and the husband," Danny said.

"Were there any dishes in the kitchen?" Mac asked. "Were there any signs that she had fixed a…a…" Mac looked at them.

"A meal?" Lindsey asked.

"Yeah, if she fixed herself a…meal, then there should be dishes."

Danny looked at the photos from the crime scene. "There were no dishes in the sink," he said. "Maybe she washed them…" He looked at the pictures again. "But there are none on the counter either."

Mac scowled. "So why did the husband say that she was fixing herself something to eat before he left?" he asked.

"Maybe she put them in the cabinet," Lindsey said.

Mac looked at the photos. "The…the…" Mac pointed to the picture.

Danny looked. "The sink?"

"Yeah, the sink is dry." Mac looked at them. "Why would she wash the dishes right away like that? I mean, if I come home from a long day at work, I most likely leave the dishes until the morning because I'm tired and been on my feet all day."

"I think we have a lot of unanswered questions," Lindsey declared.

"I agree." Mac looked at Lindsey who was wearing dark shades. "Can you see good through those?"

"I can see fine."

"Good."

Mac turned to go back to his office and grinned as he left the lab. Jo came around the corner of the hall still trying to pick the confetti from her hair. "What happened to you?" Mac asked with a look of amusement on his face.

"Somebody thought it would be cute to give me a shower of confetti," Jo said.

"At least it's not wet."

Jo folded her arms. "Mac Taylor, if I didn't know you better, I would think you did this," she declared.

Mac looked surprised. "Me? You're kidding."

"I think under all that hard shell you have there is a joker, a big softy and a lover."

Mac scowled at that. "Well, whatever. We have a case to work on. I want to know why there were no dishes if she just ate."

Jo looked at the pictures. "Maybe she washed them," she said.

"But Sid estimated her time of death at about eleven-thirty or before." Mac thought a moment. The husband could have killed her and then went to work." He looked at Jo. "This just doesn't make sense. The husband leaves for work, he said, at around eleven because he has to be there at eleven-thirty, and the wife is killed somewhere between the time he left and the time he got to work by someone that she obviously knew because she didn't struggle and looks like she was taken completely by surprise."

"I agree. It doesn't add up. So what are we doing?"

"We're going to talk to her 'grieving' husband again."

"I'm with you."


	5. Chapter 5

Mac and Jo got into the Avalanche and headed for the hotel where the victim's husband was staying until the crime scene was open again. "If the victim was killed right after her husband left for work, she wouldn't have had time to get the meal finished, would she?" Jo asked.

"Doesn't look like it," Mac replied. "There's just something that's not adding up. The time frame is not right because I don't think she would have had time to get the kitchen completely spotless either."

"Why would he lie about it?"

"Maybe he killed her."

Mac drove over to the hotel and they went to the hotel room. "So what are we going to ask him?" Jo asked. "Did you kill your wife?"

"That's the direct approach," Mac said. "But I think I want to be a little more subtle and see how he reacts."

Mac knocked on the door and they waited. He pointed at the door knocker. "What color is that?" he asked.

"Gold," Jo said.

Mac nodded. Jo could see how hard it was for Mac to ask for help. "It's okay to need help, Mac," she said.

Mac looked at her. "I know, I just have to convince myself of that."

They heard the door and Blake Nieci was there. He stared at them a moment, looking like he had been in bed. "Did you find who killed my wife?" he asked.

"We need to ask you some questions," Mac said.

"Like what?"

"May we come in?"

"I'm not dressed."

"Well, you said your wife was fixing herself something to eat when you left," Mac said. He looked at the man. "What did she fix?"

Nieci stared at Mac and frowned. "Uhm, I'm not sure," he said. "I was getting ready for work, so I don't know."

"And you say you left at eleven?"

"Yes. I have to leave then to get there on time."

"Did you see anyone in the hall or anywhere that wasn't usually around when you left? We estimate her time of death was between eleven and eleven-thirty. That means she couldn't have been killed long after you left."

Nieci stared at them a moment. "Are you accusing me?" he asked. "You can ask anyone I worked with at the hospital. They'll tell you I was there and I wasn't late."

"Well, the time of death is only an estimation. It could have been earlier than that. From what I've calculated, you could have gotten to the hospital by eleven-thirty if you left about fifteen after."

"You really think I killed my wife?"

"I don't know. I'm saying that what you've told us doesn't add up. You didn't see anyone around when you left and yet, your wife was killed not long after you say you left and she was killed by someone she knew because there was no struggle."

"Are there any neighbors who have been hanging around?" Jo asked. "Do you think she was having an affair?"

Nieci frowned. "I don't know," he said. "I don't want to answer anymore of your questions either."

"Why not?" Mac asked. "There were no dirty dishes in the kitchen. Not even a pan."

"My wife keeps the kitchen clean."

"Well, thanks for your time."

Mac and Jo turned as Nieci slammed the door. "Well, that was pleasant," Jo said. "Who are we going to get all riled up next?"

"We're going to his workplace," Mac said. "The…uhm…"

"Hospital?"

"Yeah, that."

Mac shook his head. He had not had any trouble remembering that before. He could not understand why he could remember some things sometimes and later, he could not. He thought his brain had a selective memory now. His phone rang and he took it off his side. It was a text message from Christine. He smiled as he read it. She was telling him how much she enjoyed their date the night before and that she had missed him so much.

Mac got into the elevator and texted back that he enjoyed it too and that he would see her that night if he could. He smiled and then noticed that Jo was smiling at him. He cleared his throat. "Mac, don't try to hide your happiness," she said. "I am so glad to see you happy."

"Thanks," Mac said.

They went down to the Avalanche and headed for the hospital. "You think we're going to find anything there that will help?" Jo asked.

"You never know," Mac replied. "Maybe he had someone check him in because he couldn't get there on time or maybe someone saw him come rushing in because he was almost late, or maybe someone knows that they were not such a happy couple."

"I just haven't seen anything that suggests motive yet."

"Me neither but we're going to find something if we keep on digging."

"How can we find out if she was having an affair? If she was, chances are, no one knows it."

"Yes, somebody knows it." Mac looked at her. "The one she was having the affair with knows it."

"Mac, do you know how man million men there are in New York?"

Mac scowled. "Well, you can eliminate me," he said. "And I'm sure you can eliminate Danny and…"

"Okay, wise guy. I know they're not 'all' suspects, but there could be a lot of men that she works with."

"When somebody's guilty, they always show it. After this run, I'm going to take a lunch break."

"I think I will too. I just can't do without lunch every day."

They arrived at the hospital and went inside. They found out what floor and department the victim had worked on and went up there. Mac went up to the desk but there was no one there. Jo walked up beside him. "Well, what do we do?" she asked. "Just stand here and wait till someone shows up?"

"I'm sure there's someone here close," Mac replied.

Just then a nurse came around the corner of the back room behind the station desk. "Hi," she said. "May I help you?"

Mac showed her his badge. "I'm Detective Mac Taylor."

"Detective Danville," Jo added.

Mac showed her a picture of the victim. "Did you know Wanda Nieci?" he asked.

The woman, whose badge said "Nelda", frowned. "Yes, I knew her," she said. She looked at Mac. "She was one of the best nurses in this place. It's a shame that she is gone."

"I'm sorry, Ma'am. We need to ask you some questions about her. We're trying to find out who murdered her."

"I hope you find them, and I hope they get the death penalty."

Another nurse came into the nurse station and looked at them. "Is there something wrong?" she asked.

"These detectives are here to find out about Wanda," Nelda said.

"Oh," the other woman said. She looked at Mac and Jo. "It's very sad that she's gone. She was our head nurse and she made sure this place ran right when she was on her shift."

"Really?" Jo asked. "Well, who is in her place now that she is gone?"

Nelda looked at them. "Well, actually, they have not thought about that yet. That appointment comes from the hospital administrator."

"And who is that?" Mac asked.

"That's Doctor Samuel Hathcock."

Mac wrote that down. "Have any of you had any ideas of who he would appoint next or who served in her stead when she was not here?" he asked.

The other nurse who had arrived, whose name was Grace, said, "I usually do this when she's not here. Why?"

"And you don't think you would be appointed to her position if she retired or quit?"

"No, I would never want that job full time. Do you know what all that job entails?"

"No, but it pays more money, right?"

"Yeah, I guess, but money isn't everything." Grace stared at him a moment. "Are you actually implying that I would kill her for her job?"

"We have to eliminate all suspects," Jo said. "We haven't found any motives for her murder as of yet."

"You might look at that jerk of a husband she was married to," Nelda said. "He didn't deserve her."

"Why is that?" Jo asked.

"He didn't respect her. He embarrassed her several times here right in front of us all, and I knew she was embarrassed, but she loved that stupid jerk. How she wound up with him or why, I could never tell you."

"Did you ever work with him?"

Nelda put her hands on her hips. "I sure did, and I am so glad that he did not get her job!" she declared.

"Why?" Mac asked. "Did he cause a lot of trouble?"

"Ha! He was trouble all rolled into one, the lazy bum. He sat around and let others do his work for him."

"Was he in line for the job she got?" Mac asked.

"Yes. It was either him or her but I made sure it wasn't going to be him when we got to give our analysis. See, I have been working here over twenty years and my opinion matters."

Mac looked at Jo and she smiled. "I'm sure it does," she said.

Mac looked at Nelda. "I hate to ask you this question, but I have to," he said. "Do you think she was having an affair or did she say she was?" he asked.

Nelda looked surprised. "Are you kidding?" she asked. "She loved that stupid idiot and she never would have cheated on him. That wasn't her way of life."

"Thank you for your time. Where can I find Doctor Samuel Hathcock?" Mac asked.

"I'll show you," Grace said.

Mac and Jo followed her around what seemed like a maze of halls and even an elevator and finally arrived at a hallway of offices. They came to one with Doctor Samuel Hathcock's name on it. Grace opened the door. "Just tell the secretary that you need to see Doctor Hathcock," she said.

"Thanks," Mac said.

Mac and Jo went on into the office. There was a secretary sitting at a desk that was piled full of folders and papers and there were five filing cabinets around the room. She looked up at them. "May I help you," she said.

"We need to see Doctor Hathcock," Mac said and showed her his badge.

"Just one minute."

Mac and Jo waited while she informed the doctor that they were there. "What do you think he can tell us?" Jo asked.

"I'm sure he knows if Blake Nieci has had any complaints against him and whether he and his wife had problems here at work, "Mac said.

Soon, the secretary told them that they could see Doctor Hathcock. She showed them to his office. "Hello," Doctor Hathcock said as Mac and Jo entered the office. He shook their hands. "You're detectives on the case of Wanda Nieci's murder."

"Yes," Mac said. "I'm Detective Mac Taylor and this is Detective Jo Danville."

"Have a seat."

Mac and Jo sat down in the chairs across from the doctor. "I was shocked to hear about Wanda's murder," Doctor Hathcock said.

"Did you know of anyone she was having trouble with around here?" Mac asked.

"Nobody she worked with had trouble with her because Wanda didn't meet a person she didn't like."

"What about her husband?"

"He is a different story. He only achieved his nursing degree last year and he has been moved to different shifts several times in the year. Everyone respected his wife but did not have much good to say about him."

"Did they have any cross words that you heard?" Jo asked.

"Hardly ever, but not long ago, I heard them arguing in Wanda's office."

"Could you hear what they were saying?" Mac asked.

"I didn't stick around because it wasn't my business, but I do remember her saying 'How could you do this to me'. I didn't know what she was talking about. That was all I heard."

"Do you think either of them were having an affair?"

"I wouldn't know but I don't think Wanda was. However, from some of the stories I've heard about Blake, I wouldn't put it past him. I don't think he was as committed to his marriage as Wanda was."

"And what stories have you heard?" Jo asked.

"He's very flirtatious and loose with the women. Not that he's ever touched or been guilty of sexual harassment, but I wouldn't say he was a one woman man."

"Thanks for your time," Mac said as he and Jo stood up to leave.

They walked out into the hallway. "It sounds more like he would have been murdered than her," Jo said.

"Maybe she was going to report him for something and cause him to lose his job," Mac replied. "Maybe he was more than flirtatious."

"But what was she saying when Doctor Hathcock heard?"

"Maybe we should ask him."

"You might be right."

They went down to the Avalanche. "You go ahead and take the truck," Mac said. "I'm going to get a cab and take a lunch break."

"You go ahead and take it. I'll get a cab. I'm going to take a break too," Jo said.

"Alright. We'll take this case up again after lunch."


	6. Chapter 6

Mac took the Avalanche and went to Christine's restaurant. The place was busy since it was lunch time. He went in and she stopped for a second to smile at him and then she went on to the back. Mac followed her. "Hi," he said. "You're busy."

"Yes," Christine replied. "It's like a mad house today." She looked at Mac. "Are you here for lunch too?"

Mac smiled. "I thought I would like to have some of your good food today. It might help me figure out who killed this victim."

"Oh, if my food can do that, I might ought to start charging more."

Mac chuckled. "I…" He did not know why he had to feel so nervous around Christine. "I wanted to see you."

Christine looked at him and smiled. "I would love to see you every minute of the day," she said.

Mac leaned on the counter. "So, do I get a free meal?" he asked.

Christine looked amused. "Is that a requirement?"

"I just thought you might want to give a free meal to the guy who keeps hanging around and taking up all your time."

"You mean the man I love? Or the man who loves me?"

Mac pretended to consider that. "The man that you love?"

"So out of love I should give you a free meal?"

Mac smiled. "Yeah."

Christine moved closer to him. "You better have a good date planned for tonight," she said.

Mac kissed her. "I do," he said. "Don't I always?"

"Of course."

Christine put a steak on a plate and some potatoes and other fixings and gave it to Mac. "The special for today," she said.

Mac took the plate and set it on the counter. "So, do I get to have lunch with the chef?" he asked.

"Maybe," Christine said as she was fixing another plate. "But I have to deliver this first…or do you want to do it?"

Mac smiled. "I would be happy to," he said. "Not table three again, right?"

"No, table five."

"I assume that's the fifth table from the front?"

Christine nodded as she put a potato from his plate in her mouth. "You better hurry. I might eat this myself."

"Just save some for me."

Mac went out into the restaurant and delivered the plate to the right table. Then someone asked him for ketchup and salt and another person wanted a pepper shaker, and then someone else wanted their drink refilled. Mac was not sure what to do first. He had never waited tables like this, although he had worked in a fast food restaurant before.

Christine came from the kitchen and watched as Mac was trying to figure out what to do. She walked over to him. "I'll take care of this," she said. "You better eat."

"Thanks," Mac replied.

When Mac was done eating, he kissed Christine and then headed back out. Back to the case of the murdered nurse. He thought her husband must have killed her but he had to prove that. They had not even found the murder weapon yet. He knew that guy must have it somewhere. He wondered where he would have put it. They had not determined a specific type of knife yet. There were no knives missing from the knife block in the kitchen so it was not a kitchen knife, so whoever killed the victim had brought the knife with them…or lived there and had the knife somewhere else in the house.

Mac arrived back at the lab where Jo was already. "So what are we doing now?" she asked.

"Well, we're going to see the husband again and see if he and his wife were arguing over an affair, but first we're going to determine what kind of knife made the wounds," Mac said.

Mac went into his office and took off his coat and suit coat and hung them on the coat rack. Jo came into the office. "By the way," she said. "Our phantom prankster has struck again."

Mac looked at her. "Oh?"

"Yes. Don went down to the firing range, and when he fired the weapon he was practicing with, a little sign came out that said 'BANG'." Jo folded her arms and stared at Mac. "The Sergeant down there was sworn to secrecy and wouldn't tell who told him to do that."

Mac smiled. "Well, it was a harmless prank."

Jo narrowed her eyes at him. "You are taking this much too lightly," she said.

"Why?"

"Because you're not offering to do anything about it."

"What can I do?" Mac asked.

Jo followed Mac to the weapons lab. He put on his lab coat and opened the cabinet of knives. "You going to get the pig?" he asked.

Jo folded her arms and stared at him a moment. "I guess I can," she said.

Mac looked at her. "I'll pick out the knives to test while you do that."

Jo left the lab to get the pig for the experiment. She just knew that Mac was behind all those pranks. Who else could cause a sergeant to be secretive like that? She did not know of anyone else in the whole precinct that anyone respected more than Mac Taylor. Everyone knew him and he earned their respect.

Mac had selected several knives when Jo came back into the weapons lab. "So, are you going to do it all or am I going to help?" Jo asked.

"I might share," Mac replied.

Jo folded her arms. "Mac Taylor, you know what I think?"

"What's that?"

"I think you are the one who has been pulling all these pranks around here."

Mac shook his head as he got ready for his experiment as the pig was lifted up on ropes. "Why do you think it's me?" he asked.

"Because you are too smug about it and you have not actually denied it."

Mac pretended to consider that as he selected his first knife. "Well, why would you think it's me?" he asked. "I would be the least likely person to do something like that, don't you think?"

"That's why you think you can do it," Jo said. "Nobody would ever suspect you."

"That's a logical way to look at it."

Mac looked at Jo. "You want to stab first?" he asked.

Jo just stared at him a moment. "Sure, why not?"

Jo walked over and took the knife from Mac and then looked at him. "You're hiding something," she said.

"Hiding what?" Mac asked.

"Oh, never mind."

Mac smiled behind Jo as she stabbed the pig. He composed his face before he walked over to look at the stab wound. "I don't think that's it," he said. "This wound on the victim has those imprints beside it."

Jo looked at the picture. "Definitely not that wound on the pig," she said. "Looks like the blade was serrated."

"Yes, I agree, but only serrated on one side."

Mac stared at the picture of the wound on the victim. "Distinctive patterns on the hilt pattern," he said. "Looks like circles."

Jo looked at the knives they had on the table and picked up one that had a hilt. "Look at these," she said as she pointed to the small circular holes in the hilt of the knife. She looked at Mac. "You want to do the honors?"

"Sure." Mac took the knife and stabbed the pig and then they looked at the wound pattern. "I would say that's it."

"I agree," Jo said.

"A Jungle Military Survival Knife." Mac looked at Jo. "Was the victim's husband in the military?"

"Maybe, but anyone who likes the outdoors might have one of those knives. You can saw with them or anything, and they have a bunch of goodies you can store in the handle."

Mac looked at her. "You have one?" he asked.

"You would like to know that, wouldn't you?"

"Of course."

"Well, if you want to know things about me, you have to tell something about yourself."

Mac stared at her a moment. "I told all of you about my problem," he reminded her.

"Oh yeah." Jo thought a moment. "I'm still not telling you."

Mac shook his head and looked at the picture again. "Well, we have to find out if Blake Nieci has been in the military or if he likes the outdoors."

"Or maybe he just likes knives," Jo said.

"That could be it too. I think we need a search warrant."

Mac went to his office and entered the knife into evidence as the possible murder weapon. Then Sheldon walked in. "Mac, I wanted to talk to you about something," he said.

"Go ahead," Mac replied.

Sheldon sat down on the couch. "When do you do your brain exercises?"

"Well, I usually do them when I have a few minutes at work or in the evening when I go home," Mac said.

Sheldon shook his head. "Mac, at work is not a good place to do them," he said. "No wonder you don't remember what you've studied already. You need to be in a quiet environment with no distractions."

"Sheldon…"

"Mac, I want to help you. Do you have plans tonight?"

"Well, not really."

"I can come over to your apartment tonight and coach you."

Mac looked at Sheldon a moment. He had to admit it sounded like a good thing and Sheldon meant every word. Mac nodded. "How about we meet at Christine's restaurant after work?" he asked.

"Mac, you need to be somewhere quiet," Sheldon said. He thought a moment. "If you don't want to be at home, how about the conference room after everyone is gone?"

Mac thought about that. "I'm being difficult, aren't I?" he asked.

"It's up to you, Mac but I want to help you."

"Come to my apartment then. How long will this session be?"

"As long as you want it to be."

Mac looked at him. "Thanks, Sheldon."

"You're welcome. You helped me when I was down, and now I want to help you."


	7. Chapter 7

When Mac had his search warrant, he and Danny headed for Blake Nieci's hotel. They knew the knife was not in the apartment because it had been searched thoroughly…unless he had hidden it in an unknown place. If they did not find it at the hotel room, they would do another search of the apartment and take some things apart.

"You really think he has that knife there at his hotel room?" Danny asked.

"It's possible," Mac replied. "Or he could have gotten rid of it after Jo and I went to see him…or tried to. He probably didn't think we would suspect him. He could have it there or in his car somewhere or he could have thrown it somewhere."

"Don't you think this case is bizarre? It just seems bizarre."

Mac scowled. "Yes, I do think it's bizarre. There doesn't seem to be any point to this murder…not that there ever is any point to murder, but there just doesn't seem to be any reason for this murder. People usually have some stupid reason for committing murder but I don't see anything that this woman has done to anyone."

"Maybe the husband is just jealous of her success."

"Maybe but to just murder her? It seems like he would have more reason than that."

They arrived at the hotel and went up to the room. Nieci was not at all happy about them being there to search his hotel room. "This is an outrage!" he declared.

"We'll see what the outrage is when we get done with this search," Mac said and gave him the warrant.

Danny and Mac began their search. "I'm going to call my lawyer!" Nieci said.

"Good," Danny replied as he was going about his business.

Mac went into the bedroom. He thought if the guy had that weapon here somewhere, it would be in the bedroom. He scowled as he saw women's lingerie in the floor beside the bed. He looked toward the bathroom and walked over to it. By looking in there, he knew a woman had been here. "So much for the grieving husband," he muttered to himself. He searched under the bed, in the nightstand and even looked under the mattress. Then he went to the closet. He would have to go through everything so he began at the bottom of the closet. There were several shoeboxes there which Mac thought was odd for a guy. He knew women kept shoeboxes but he had not seen many men who kept shoe boxes like this but he took pictures of them first.

Mac opened the first shoe box and found that it was full of receipts. He looked at them and they were from bills the guy had paid two years before. "Well, I guess he keeps good records," he said and made sure there was nothing else in that box.

The next box Mac opened had receipts from the year before so he went on to the next box. He found that one of the boxes had CD's in it. He stared at them wondering what was on them. They were not professional CD's but CD's that one buys in the store. Mac thought there must be at least twenty in that box and they were all labeled with dates. He wondered why he would have them hidden in the closet rather than being where the stereo is. He scowled as he thought about the fact that this guy was supposedly only here since his apartment was a crime scene. He thought this hotel room looked lived in.

Mac searched through all the other shoe boxes and did not find a weapon in there. He was curious about those CD's though. He did not know if they had computer data, music or movies on them. However, his warrant said that he was authorized to take any evidence that may pertain to that case, so he labeled the box of CD's and put them in an evidence bag.

Next, Mac searched through the clothes in the closet which he thought seemed like a lot of clothes for someone who was only temporarily staying there. He was beginning to wonder if the guy had been staying here before now, and whether he had a mistress that he stayed here with. He knew the man had a woman in this place because there were women's clothing in the closet and other things in the bathroom.

Danny came into the bedroom and walked over to Mac. "Do you get the impression that someone has been living here more than a day?" he asked.

"I do," Mac replied. "And not just one person, but a woman has been here too."

Danny looked in the closet. "Maybe he's a cross dresser," he remarked.

Mac looked at him. "Are you kidding? The reason he didn't want us to come in here before was because he had a woman in here and he knew how that would look. I think he's been staying here with another woman."

"How do we find out who that woman is?"

"Better yet, let's find out if he had an insurance policy on his wife," Mac said.

"You think this has something to do with money?"

"I think it might have something to do with a lot of things."

Mac held up the evidence bag with the box of CD's in it. "We're going to find out what the secrets of these CD's are," he said.

"I didn't find any knives besides kitchen knives," Danny said. "There's just something strange about this whole situation. It's like he's not planning to go back to his apartment."

"Why don't we go and look in that apartment and see if he took everything out of it and if he's still got everything there, we'll know something is wrong."

"Right."

Mac and Danny did not find a weapon in that hotel room so they went back into the living room. Nieci's lawyer was there now. "We're going to file a harassment suit against you," the lawyer said.

"What for?" Mac asked. "We had a warrant and we searched for evidence pertaining to this case. I don't know what you are here for. We're not arresting him."

"You'll be sorry."

"I've heard that before. When people are innocent, they don't usually have lawyers threatening me," Mac said. He looked at Nieci. "So, how long have you been living here with another woman?"

Mac thought Nieci's face turned a shade whiter but then he looked angry. "What are you saying?" he asked.

"I asked how long you've been living here with another woman. I know your wife wasn't living here with you. Was that what your argument was about?"

"Don't answer that," the lawyer said.

"He can save it for his interrogation, because it's only a matter of time before we find that murder weapon."

Mac walked out the door and Danny followed him. "Where to next?" Danny asked.

"We're going to take this evidence to the lab and then we're going to that apartment," Mac said. "I want to know if that weapon is there somewhere that we didn't look."

"We did a pretty thorough search, Mac."

"He could have hidden it there after we searched if he got in."

Danny considered that. "Well, he did have an awful lot of stuff in that hotel room," he said.

"I don't really think that was stuff from the apartment. I think it was there all along. He had shoe boxes full of receipts in the closet. Some of them were from two years ago and some from a year ago."

"So he's been there a while."

"Yeah. Why would he have those there if he had not been living there?"

"I don't see any reason unless he thinks he's going to be audited."

They went to the lab and turned in the evidence. Mac went into the computer lab. "I want you to see what is so special or secret about those CD's," he said. "I'll talk to you when I get back."

Mac and Danny headed to the victim's apartment. When they got there, they went into the bedroom. Mac opened the closet doors. He and Danny looked at the contents and then looked at each other. "Doesn't look like anyone cleaned this closet out," Danny said.

"No," Mac agreed and none of the victim's clothes seem to be missing with them all packed in there like that." He looked at the tags on the clothes. "These are size eights. The ones in that other closet were size six. She couldn't wear those."

"You know, women are real sensitive about their size."

Mac smiled. "You better not forget it."

"I have to sneak into Lindsey's closet when she's not there so I'll know what size to get if I'm going to get her something."

"So, this guy was living with his wife here and living with some other woman at that hotel. We have to find out who that woman is and whether he's married to her or not. Maybe that was what they were arguing about a few days ago. Maybe the victim found out that he had another woman."

"How does a man do that? How can he have two wives and they don't even know it?"

"I don't know. I would imagine it takes a lot of lying and a job that keeps them away from home."

"What does he do? Go home to one and sleep with her and then run out like he's leaving for work and then runs right into the bed of the other one?"

Mac made a face of disgust. "Not thinking much about STD's," he said.

"That's as bad as having a threesome. I mean, mixing all that…"

"Danny, please. I don't want to go into that."

Mac blew out a breath as he looked around the room. "What would he do with that knife?" he wondered out loud.

Danny shook his head. "He could have thrown it out into the river or something," he said.

Mac frowned. "We have to find something that will prove that he did it even if we can't find the murder weapon."

They both knew how hard it would be to prove that. Mac folded his arms and thought a moment. He thought about all those receipts that Nieci had in his closet. "What if he still has the receipt where he bought the knife?" he asked.

Danny looked at Mac. "You think he would?" he asked.

"He had receipts even from department stores in there." Mac looked at Danny. "Get Don, and you two go back to that hotel room and confiscate those receipts."

"I'm on it."

Mac took pictures of the closet that he was looking at now. He looked in the bottom and sure enough, there were shoe boxes down there. He took pictures of that too and then bagged all of the boxes. He would find out if that guy kept that receipt. When he had all those bagged, he got them into the Avalanche and headed back to the lab. They would have a long evening of searching through those receipts.

Mac called Christine and told her that he would not be able to make their date that night, and he had been planning to tell her that because Sheldon was going to coach him that night but now they would have to search those receipts. If they could find where Nieci bought a Jungle Military Survival Knife, they would have a lot more questions to ask him.

Mac arrived at the lab and told the others that they had some work to do. "Danny told us what you guys were doing," Jo said. "You think he has the receipt for that knife that he killed his wife with."

"I'm hoping," Mac replied.

Mac, Jo, Lindsey and Sheldon went into the conference room and took one box each of the receipts since there were four in that closet at the apartment. "Wow, talk about being thorough," Lindsey said as she looked into her box.

"Well, Danny and Don are getting some more from the hotel room," Mac said. "I hope no one has plans this evening."

Jo looked at him. "I figured you did," she said.

Mac smiled. "Well, she understands."

They all began looking through the receipts and soon, Don and Danny arrived with four more boxes. They sat down and began looking too. Adam came into the conference room. "Mac, I think you want to see this," he said. "I've studied all the CD's."

"You guys keep on looking," Mac said. "I'll be back."

Mac followed Adam to the computer lab. Adam sat down at the computer and looked at Mac. "Okay, I watched the first DVD and they're all DVD's," Adam said. "I was…well, you'll see. I think this might be what his wife was so upset about."

Mac watched as Adam turned the DVD on. He saw the victim in the shower and in the bathroom, and there were also scenes of them in bed having sex. "So what was he doing with these?" Mac asked as he looked at one of the DVD's. "They're all dated."

"Yeah," Adam said. "I think he was keeping up with the day he recorded them, and I did some checking…and I found this…"

Mac watched as Adam opened a website called "My Life with Wanda". Adam looked at Mac. "This website was set up by Blake Nieci," Adam said. "It doesn't have his wife's name on it except as the subject of the site, and these videos are on here." Adam looked at Mac. "This site gets thousands of hits a day, and they've gotten millions since it was put up. It's like a porno site."

Mac frowned. "She must have found out about it or found out about his other woman," he said. "Are 'all' of these about Wanda? Or are there some featuring another woman?"

"All of these DVD's are of her."

Mac scowled. "So where does the other woman come in unless she is just a mistress?" he wondered out loud. "We have to find out if anyone at that hotel saw his other woman." Mac slapped Adam on the back. "Keep up the good work. Let me know if you find anything else."

Mac left the computer lab and went back to the conference room. "You guys keep looking through those receipts," he said. "Don, come with me."

"Thanks," Don said as though he were being released.

"We're going to see if we can find out who Blake Nieci's other woman is."

"Anything but looking through receipts."

Mac looked at the others. "Make sure you're very thorough," he said.


	8. Chapter 8

As Don and Mac were walking through the squad room, Don received a printout with the information he had been looking for. "Nieci has not been in the military," he said. "He just had the knife for sport, I guess."

They went out to the Avalanche and went to the hotel where Blake Nieci was staying. They stopped at the front desk. "Excuse me," Mac said.

There was a man at the desk. "Yes?" he said.

Mac showed him his badge. "I'm Detective Taylor." He showed him a picture of Blake Nieci. "Have you seen this man here?"

"Sure. He lives here."

"How long has he been living here?"

"I'm not sure, but he keeps a room all the time."

"Would you say he has been here at least a year?"

"Oh yes, definitely."

Mac looked at Don. "Well, have you seen him here with a woman?" Don asked.

Mac showed him a picture of the victim. "Was it this woman?"

The man looked at the picture. "No, the woman he was with had red hair. She would usually come in after him, but some of the time they came together."

"Were they here together a lot?"

"Sure. I assumed they were married or just living together."

"You never saw them coming in like they had been at a wedding?" Don asked.

"No."

"And he never came here with the other woman?" Mac asked.

"No, I've never seen her here."

As they walked out of the hotel, they were still confused. "Well, we know she has red hair," Don said.

"No name though," Mac replied. He thought a moment. "Maybe we should ask some of the neighbors in the hotel if they have seen her or know her name."

Don looked at Mac. "I think I would rather look through receipts," he said.

"Too late," Mac said. "Let's go."

They went up to the floor where Blake Nieci's hotel room was. Mac knocked on the first door. They waited but no one came to the door. "I guess no one's home," Don said.

They went on to the next door and went to each door on that hall. They found that the woman's name was Andrea but they did not find out a last name. "So, how do we find her just by that first name?" Don asked.

Mac considered that. "I should have thought of it before when I was searching the hotel room but I wasn't looking for DNA evidence," he said. "I should have collected some hair samples and stuff from the hotel room."

"The warrant is still in order," Don said.

"Go get my forensics kit from the Avalanche." Mac gave him the keys.

Don headed for the Avalanche and Mac went to Nieci's room door. He knocked and waited for him to open the door. "You again!" Nieci exploded when he saw Mac.

"Yes, me again," Mac said. "I need to collect some DNA samples."

"You have a warrant for that?"

"The warrant I gave you before covers anything that I need that pertains to this case. I just need some more samples."

Nieci would not let Mac have his DNA but Mac went into the bathroom and got some hair from the hairbrush that was in there and he also got some samples from the bed. Nieci came into the room and glared at Mac with his arms folded. "You have no right to do that," he said.

"Yes I do," Mac replied.

"Hey, why don't you just go back in there?" Don asked. "Back off."

Nieci glared at Don and then went back into the other room. Don looked at Mac. "I hope I get to arrest him soon," he said.

"You probably will," Mac replied.

They went back to the lab and Lindsey started on the analysis of the DNA samples that Mac had collected. "The woman who has been staying there at the hotel with Nieci is named Andrea," Mac said as he was back in the conference room with everyone else looking through receipts again.

Jo looked at the receipt she was holding. "One box of Raisin Bran and one jug of milk," she said and looked at Mac. "I think I know everything this guy bought in the last year."

"Just keep looking," Mac said.

Mac yawned after a while of looking through those receipts. "Don't start that," Jo said. She rubbed her eyes. "I have never looked at so many receipts in my life."

"Why would he keep all this?" Danny asked.

"I have no idea," Mac replied.

Sheldon held up a receipt and stared at it a moment. "I think I found it," he said.

The others all looked at him. "A purchase at Bill's Outdoor Shop," Sheldon said. "Looks like he bought fishing line, hooks, weights, beef jerky and one hunting knife." Sheldon looked at Mac. "This was about four months ago."

Mac looked at the receipt. "So, he may or may not have planned to kill her when he bought it," he said.

"Probably didn't," Jo said. "It was just handy when he decided to."

"Right."

Don stood up. "Do I get to arrest him now?" he asked.

Mac looked at him. "Get a warrant," he said.

Don smiled. "For sure."

Mac shook his head as Don left the room. "Well, I guess this puts a bad light on Blake Nieci," he said. "If he can't come up with that knife, he's going to look very suspicious."

"Sure is," Jo said. She looked at Mac. "So, now that we almost have this case finished, are you going to tell us your secret?"

Mac scowled. "What secret?" he asked.

"Come on and admit that you are the one who pulled all those pranks on us," Jo said as she pulled another piece of confetti from her hair. "I am still finding these things."

"Why do you think I did it?"

"I already told you…you have not denied it."

"So that makes me guilty?"

"I know that you won't tell a lie so come on and say 'I didn't do it'."

Mac stared at her a moment and then looked at the others who were also waiting. "You mean with all of you detectives here, you can't figure out who is doing all that?" he asked.

Jo looked at the others. "See there?" she asked. "He cannot tell a lie and that's why he won't say he didn't do it." She looked at Mac. "You did it."

Mac could not hold his smile in anymore. "Yes, I did it."

Everybody's mouths dropped open. "YOU!" they all exclaimed, except Jo who just folded her arms.

"Yes, it was me. So I got a little mischievous. Something wrong with that?"

"I just can't believe it," Lindsey said as she heard this revelation.

"Well, I didn't really expect you to get that," Mac said.

"Oh, you just wait."

"I think you crossed the wrong path," Jo said. "She's going to make you pay."

When the DNA results were done, they found that the woman's name was Andrea Purvis. Blake Nieci was in the interrogation room and he was mad. Mac walked in there and sat down at the table. "So, you killed your wife," Mac said.

"That's a lie!" Nieci exclaimed.

Mac laid the receipt from the purchase of the knife on the table. "You keep very good records," he said. "You purchased a knife just like the one that killed your wife."

"That doesn't mean I killed her."

"Then where is that knife?"

Nieci stared at Mac a moment. "I…don't know. I lost it a long time ago."

Mac frowned at him. "You only bought that knife four months ago! How could you have already lost it?"

"That's enough of these questions," Nieci's lawyer said as he was entering the interrogation room. "He will not answer anymore questions."

Mac leaned back in the chair. "Who is Andrea Purvis?" he asked.

Nieci's frown deepened. "She's…a friend."

"She's more than that." Mac laid the DNA results on the table. "She was living in that hotel room with you. You have been living there at least a year. Your DNA and hers was on that bed mingled together."

Nieci stared at the paper and then looked at Mac. "So, I had another woman, that doesn't make me a murderer."

Mac laid one of the DVD's on the table. "You also made a website displaying your wife in private moments. There are nineteen more of these DVD's in there. She found out about it, didn't she? And she found out about your other woman." Mac laid a copy of an insurance policy on the table. "She was going to divorce you, wasn't she? And then your insurance policy would be worthless. You intended to cash in that policy and run off with this other woman. You thought that your wife had painted a good picture for you and no one would suspect you, but you were wrong. You didn't have anyone fooled. And you haven't fooled me. Question is: did Andrea help you?"

Mac put the evidence up and stood up. "You may not say anything, but you're going up for murder," he said.

Mac walked out of the room and went to the room where Andrea Purvis was waiting. She had red hair that was in a French braid and she was wearing a beige skirt suit. She folded her arms and stared at Mac with green eyes. "What is this about?" she asked.

Mac sat down in the chair. "I think you know what it's about," he said.

"And how would I know that?"

Mac laid a picture of the victim on the table. "You see that woman?" he asked. "That was Wanda Nieci. She was the wife of the man you have been living with over there in the hotel."

Andrea looked at Mac. "So?" she asked. "He didn't love her. She didn't give him what he wanted."

"And you do?"

"I guess I do."

"Did you help him kill her so the two of you could run off with that insurance money?"

Andrea frowned. "Kill her? I didn't kill anyone."

Mac stared at her a moment. "Blake Nieci either killed her or you killed her for him so he wouldn't be late for work that night, but I think he killed her and you checked him in so that he wouldn't look like he was late for work." Mac laid a paper on the table. "See, you work in the business office at the hospital." He looked at her. "Don't bother denying anything because we have your DNA in that hotel room, and we even found your fingerprints on some of those DVD's. You knew about that website, didn't you? Were you jealous of that?"

"I didn't have to be jealous. He was going to leave her."

"Leave her? Why would he do that when she was the only good thing in his life? He thought he had it made but she found out about this little charade you two had going, and she was going to divorce him. It was the last straw for her."

"That doesn't prove anything."

"Well, they're going to search your office at that hospital to see if they find that murder weapon. I don't think the two of you thought anyone would ever find out about your affair…if that is what it is. I just get the feeling that there's an illegal marriage license floating around out there somewhere. I guess we'll see."

Mac left that room. He knew there was more to that case, but they had the ones who were guilty and he thought that Andrea had at least aided Blake in killing Wanda and she would be in trouble for that too.

Mac went back up to the lab. He was sleepy now. It was late and he wanted to get out of this office. He filed his evidence and finished his report as best he could. He knew Jo would proof read it the next day. He was glad they all knew about his disability. He thought he might be able to get past it with their help. He opened the bottom drawer on his desk and suddenly, confetti spewed from the drawer. Mac leaned back in his chair and nodded as fall colored confetti rained down all around him and on him.

Jo came to the door and laughed as she watched the confetti fluttering down. "Happy Thanksgiving, Mac," she said.

Mac looked at her. "You too, Jo," he said. "Let's don't forget that Wednesday, everyone should bring something to eat in the break room."

"We won't forget. We all have a lot to be thankful for."

Mac nodded. "We do."

That Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving, they had a big dinner in the break room. Christine was there. She had prepared the turkey for the dinner and the others had brought all the other dishes. Mac smiled as he watched everyone around the table. "Okay, everyone," he said.

Everyone got quiet and looked at Mac. "I know I have a lot to be thankful for," he said. He put his arm around Christine. "I'm thankful for this beautiful woman I have found to share my life with." He looked at the others. "And I'm thankful for all my friends who support me and work with me every day. I love all of you."

The others stood up and held up their glasses. "One big, happy family," Don said.


End file.
